QCES board says maintaining status quo in schools would cost $1.21 million per year more than facility proposal

QUINCY — The working facility plan proposed by the Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools (QCES) last week would cost $1.21 million per year less than maintaining all four Catholic elementary school buildings as pre-K through eighth-grade facilities, according to a document made public Friday.

The document, published on the QCES website, also said that figure doesn’t reflect the cost of “necessary” capital improvements on at least two campuses to accommodate additional services. Parishes, which provide a $3,400 subsidy for each student, are “unable to sustain this level of subsidy,” the document said, and tuition would be expected to increase by $1,244 per student. Each Catholic school student (who is a member of a registered and actively participating family) pays the same tuition — $3,400 for one child, $4,975 for two children and $5,500 for three or more.

The document, however, does not detail how that $1.21 million figure was reached, nor does it explain how the additional $1,244 in tuition would cover extra costs.

Parents of elementary school students learned of the Quincy Catholic Elementary Schools’ (QCES) proposal for a new working facility plan on Tuesday and Wednesday during often heated meetings at Quincy University’s Connie Niemann Center.

The plan calls for Quincy’s four K-8 Catholic grade schools — Blessed Sacrament, St. Dominic, St. Francis and St. Peter — to continue to be used as attendance centers. However, Blessed Sacrament and St. Dominic will be used for preschool and kindergarten for the 2025-26 school year. St. Francis will be the site for all students in grades 1-4, and St. Peter will be the site for all students in grades 5-8.

The document said four other models were considered before the 10-person Provisional Advisory Board selected the working facility plan.

• Maintaining all four buildings as pre-K through eighth-grade buildings with equalization of support services and offerings.
• Closing one building. QCES said that model would cost approximately $450,000 less than the working facility plan, but services and programs would not be equalized in the other buildings. “If we close a building, we risk losing a portion of the students from that school, which will reduce the overall number of graduating eighth graders and, in turn, lead to lower enrollment at QND,” the document read.
• Pre-K at St. Dominic, grades K-4 at St. Francis and Blessed Sacrament, grades 5-8 at St. Peter with equalization of support services and offerings. QCES says this model would cost $58,000 less than the working facility plan, and at least two teachers at each grade level would be in each building. However, the Provisional Advisory Board believed student placement decisions in grades K-4 would lead to dissatisfaction and conflict based on feedback from school officials at Bishop McNamara in Kankakee, which recently transitioned from a parochial school model to a Catholic school system.
• Pre-K and kindergarten at St. Dominic, grades 1-2 at Blessed Sacrament, grades 3-5 at St. Francis, grades 6-8 at St. Peter. This model was not pursued for long because of a concern of multiple school transitions.

QCES officials say additional models have been submitted for consideration since the conclusion of last week’s meetings. The Provisional Advisory Board and finance committee will review the options.

A recap of the presentation, along with answers to frequently asked questions gathered from Tuesday’s and Wednesday sessions and follow-up emails, phone calls and conversations, was included in a document posted on the QCES website.

“While there are many differing views on the working facility plan, we are united by our shared commitment to Catholic education,” read a letter signed by the Provisional Advisory Board, the pastors of Quincy’s four Catholic parishes and QCES Chief Administrative Leader Chris Gill. “The goal of the recent sharing sessions was to begin a community-wide dialogue to address the challenges we face while staying focused on our mission to form the next generation of Catholic disciples. We have successfully started that conversation.”

The document on the QCES website provided answers to what committee members said were the most frequently asked questions. Some of those questions were (answers provided by QCES):

Why was the community not made aware of the challenges (the Catholic schools) face?

The QCES Leadership team held listening sessions at each of Quincy’s four parishes in April 2022 to engage the community in a dialogue about the future of Catholic schools. A video from those sessions presented a vision for a unified school system with shared governance and outlined the key areas under consideration, including a middle school model and the exploration of a daycare.

How was the Provisional Advisory Board selected? 

After the listening sessions, the next step was the formation of the Provisional Advisory Board. The selection process, outlined in a November 2022 community update, was communicated to school families through principals, posted on QCES social media pages and website and shared in parish bulletins. Interested people submitted information for consideration, and the four parish pastors each selected two representatives. The QCES Foundation Board of Directors and Quincy Notre Dame also selected one representative.

What services are offered at some Catholic schools but not at others?

• Full-time counselor: one out of four schools
• Full-time music teacher: one out of four schools
• Part-time music teacher: three out of four schools
• Part-time art teacher: two out of four schools
• Full-time STEM or STREAM teacher: two out of four schools
• Full-time academic specialist: two out of four schools
• Part-time interventionist: one out of four schools
• Part-time reading recovery teacher: three out of four schools
• Part-time tutor: one out of four schools
• Part-time K-8 paraprofessionals: three out of four schools
• Part-time librarian: one out of four schools
• Full-time school administration manager: one out of four schools

A 2023 survey of nearly 500 people identified additional support services as one of the top five priorities for the schools to address in the next three to five years. The QCES document said the working facility plan ensures equal access for all students to the opportunities and services listed.

Where is the data to support that the working facility plan can be successful?

The QCES Leadership Team (active from 2011-19) and the Provisional Advisory Board communicated with the following school systems which transitioned from a parochial school model to a Catholic school system:

• Bishop McNamara Catholic School in Kankakee
• Owensboro (Ky.) Catholic Schools System
• Sienna Catholic Schools in Racine, Wisc.
• Catholic Central School System in Springfield, Ohio
• Lafayette (Ind.) Catholic Schools System

How does this plan support enrollment efforts? 

The QCES plan claims to tackle issues that have led some families to leave the Catholic Schools, such as a lack of student support services, limited fine arts programming and small class sizes. Recent sharing sessions also indicated a wish for the addition of a school nurse and a campus minister.

The preschool program is the fastest-growing part of the Catholic school. The working facility plan allows for expansion and offers flexible options such as full-day, half-day, five-day or three-day programs. “By strengthening our preschool and elementary offerings, we can attract young families and retain students as they move into kindergarten and beyond,” the QCES document said.

How will families drop off and pick up kids at multiple locations?

“Staggered start and end times for the different buildings would allow parents the time to drive between buildings,” the document said. Conversations with Quincy Public Schools about utilizing buses are ongoing. A shuttle system that could transport students between schools is being explored. A single drop-off location would add convenience for families with children at multiple sites.

How will parishes remain connected to the schools and students remain connected to their parish?

A committee, including the directors of religious education from each parish, has been formed to discuss this. One idea already discussed is to ensure that every priest and deacon regularly visits the schools.

If the working facility plan is not chosen, what is Plan B?

“If, based on the feedback we received from the community, the building configuration proposed in the working facility plan isn’t feasible, then the (Provisional Advisory Board) will continue to work toward solutions,” the document read. “This flexible strategy allows us to incorporate feedback and make the necessary adjustments.”

What is the process for final approval of a facility plan?

The Provisional Advisory Board and the pastors will review the feedback collected from the sharing sessions and use it to identify if additional information is needed. 

“Focus groups could be formed to explore specific aspects of the plan or further investigate ideas,” the document read. “Other school systems could be contacted to learn about their approaches to issues. After adjustments are made to the working facility plan, the community will have another opportunity to provide feedback before a final plan is recommended.”

The Provisional Advisory Board will present its recommendation to the four parish pastors. If approved, the plan will be forwarded to the Springfield Diocese for final approval.

When will a plan be implemented?

“There is no official timeline for the adoption of a final facility plan,” the document read. “While 2025-26 was initially mentioned as a target, it was intended as a starting point rather than a fixed deadline.” 

More feedback and ideas from the community can be submitted to the Provisional Advisory Board and the pastors by completing a community survey by Oct. 1. Feedback also can be emailed to feedback@quincycatholicschools.org.